A Military Time Conversion chart, Military Time Zones chart and easy to follow guide on how to read, speak and use military time.

Military Time Zones Chart

Printable version of the Military Time Zones Chart.

Military Time Conversion Chart

Printable version of the Military Time Conversion Chart.

• Military time is based on a 24-hour clock beginning at midnight (0000 hours) and ends at 2359 hours. Military time format eliminates the need for using A.M. and P.M. designations as regular time uses numbers 1 to 12 to identify the hours in a day. In Military Time 12 P.M. is 1200 hours, 1 P.M. is 1300 hours up until 11 P.M where it is 2300 hours.

• The military uses this standard as it leaves less room for confusion than Standard Time.

• The world is divided into 24 military time zones and each military zone is designated a letter and the military phonetic alphabet word.

• The time zone for Greenwich, England is the letter “Z” and the military phonetic word is “Zulu”. Since many U.S. military operations must be coordinated across times zones the military uses Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) as the standard time. The U.S. Military refers to this as Zulu (Z) time and will attach the suffix to ensure the referred time zone is clear.

• When referring to a specific military time zone the letter or word is attached or spoken. For instance, if a military exercise is beginning at 3:00 P.M. Zulu time, it would be spoken as “fifteen hundred hours Zulu time” and written as 1500Z.

• The time zones from the United States are R – X (Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-Ray)

• Local time is designated with the letter J or Juliet. Written format for 9 A.M. is 0900J and spoken is “Zero 900 hours Juliet time”

• The military observes Daylight Savings Time when using local when it is recognized by the state or country where the time zone is being used.

• When using local time, the Military observes Daylight Savings Time, if recognized by the state or country that the base is located in.

• The 12 time zones West of the Zulu time zone (Greenwich Mean Time) starting from Zulu and ending at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean are November through Yankee.

• The 12 time zones East of the Zulu time zone (GMT) starting from Zulu and ending at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean are Alpha through Mike.

• Mike and Yankee zones are the same time but a day apart, on either side of the International Date Line.

• 12 A.M. is often referred to as both 0000 and 2400 hours. However, Clocks that display Military Time always display it as 0000.

• Many countries use Military Time as their main time format such as countries in Europe and many in African, Asian and Latin American countries. In some countries both are used.

• Standard and military time express minutes and seconds in the same format.